1. University of Wisconsin
Conversion from LDR to HDR Intracavitary Brachytherapy for Cancer of the Cervix
Bruce Thomadsen
University of Wisconsin
Madison

2. Learning Objectives
To understand the different variables in LDR and HDR intracavitary brachytherapy for cancer of the cervix.
To understand the procedures for HDR intracavitary brachytherapy for cancer of the cervix.

3. HDR Advantages for Cervical Ca Treatments
1. Shorter treatment times, resulting in:
a) Outpatient treatment.
b) Less patient discomfort since prolonged bed rest is eliminated
c) Treating patients intolerant of isolation or at risk for acute cardiopulmonary toxicity due to prolonged bed rest.
d) Reduced applicator movement during therapy.
e) Greater displacement of nearby normal tissues.
f) Possibility of treating larger number of patients.

4. HDR Advantages for Cervical Ca Treatments
2. Allows use of smaller diameter sources than are used in HDR:
a) Resulting in less patient discomfort, thereby;
b) Reducing the need for dilatation of the cervix and therefore reducing the need for heavy sedation or general anesthesia (allowing treatment for high-risk patients who are unable to tolerate general anesthesia).
c) Making insertion of the tandem into the cervix easier.

5. HDR Advantages for Cervical Ca Treatments
Tailor dose distribution to target through optimization
Elimination of exposure to personnel

6. Disadvantages of HDR Brachytherapy Compared with LDR
Labor intensive (requires large staff during procedure)
Decreased therapeutic ratio (radiobiologically, normal tissue becomes relatively more sensitive than tumor)
Increased probability of executing an error
Must know target and desired doses

7. Dangers of HDR Brachytherapy
Working fast
so patient doesn’t become uncomfortable and start to move
so patient doesn’t develop thromboses
so patient doesn’t stay under anesthesia
Lots of input data required (≈ 350 bits of information)
complicated to check by hand

8. Steps in Converting from LDR to HDR Intracavitary Brachytherapy
Determine dose and fractionation
Determine applicator
Determine dwell positions
Determine optimization scheme
Establish quality management

9. Biological Equivalence: Dose per Fraction
LDR
BED = D { 1 + [2D(b/a)/m ] [ 1 - <1- exp(-mT)>/(mT)]} T/(aTp)
HDR
BED = n d [ 1 + d/(a/b) ] T/(aTp) •

10. Biologically Effective Dose vs. Dose

11. Therapeutic Ratio vs. Dose Rate

12. Living with Unfavorable Therapeutic Ratio
The save graces are:
Geometric spacing - With HDR brachytherapy, normal structures can be held away during treatment; and
Fractionation.

13. Improvement in Therapeutic Ratio with Increasing Number of Fractions

14. ABS Recommendations for Locating Point A
2 cm
2 cm A o A o X X A f A f X X
2 cm
2 cm
raduis
.5 cm V s V d

15. Absolute Dose
The treatment usually has external beam treatments to about Gy at Gy/fraction.
Total treatment to about Gy10.
Typical HDR regimen is 5 fractions of 5.5 Gy.
Chemotherapy strongly affects both normal tissue and tumor reaction.

16. What if I used the M.D. Anderson Approach?
Review a selections of patients with a variety of applications and determine the doses to Points A.

17. What if I Didn’t Use the M.D. Anderson Approach?
You should still review a set of your patients and look at the shape of the dose distribution. (Not that you want to duplicate that - it was what you could get, not what you wanted to get.)

18. Cervical Ca Targets

19. Steps in Converting from LDR to HDR Intracavitary Brachytherapy
Determine dose and fractionation
Determine applicator
Determine dwell positions
Determine optimization scheme
Establish quality management

20. Cervical Ca Targets

21. Tandem and Cylinders
Because of the nature of the anisotropy, this maximizes the relative contribution to the bladder and rectum per dose to cervix, and usually prevents adding distance to those organs.
Short
distance
Poor
Contribution
Poor
Depth dose
0.5cm

22. Tandem & Ring Geometry Simple but complex geometry Ring diameter
Ring + Cap diameter
36mm, 40mm, 44mm
constant 6mm source to surface
Tandem Angle
30°, 45°, 60°
2cm, 4cm, 6cm, 8cm
Jason Rownd, Medical college of Wisconsin

23. Tandem & Ring Geometry Fixed geometry - tandem fixed in center of ring
Choose combination according to anatomy
Dosimetry needed only for 1st fraction?
Adapt fraction to fraction if needed
Jason Rownd, Medical college of Wisconsin

24. Dosimetry Methods-Tandem
Dose optimization points are tapered along the tandem axis
12mm, 14mm, 16mm, 18mm,20mm down to level of Point A
Dwell locations down to ring
Jason Rownd, Medical college of Wisconsin

25. Dosimetry Methods-Tandem
Tandem length will affect the dose around Point A
more tandem dwells, less relative contribution from ring dwells
goal percentage 100%, optimized %
Jason Rownd, Medical college of Wisconsin

26. Dosimetry Methods-Tandem
Tandem length will affect the dose around Point A
more tandem dwells, less relative contribution from ring dwells
goal percentage 100%, optimized %
Jason Rownd, Medical college of Wisconsin

27. Dosimetry Methods-Ring
Dwell locations are specified as part the prescription
4, 5, or 6 dwells to a side
Dose optimization points are placed radially at 6mm
non radial placement means different depths and not on ring surface
Jason Rownd, Medical college of Wisconsin

28. Tandem and Ovoids A o A o A f A f .5 cm V V s d 2 cm 2 cm X X X X 2 cm
raduis
.5 cm V s V d

29. Steps in Converting from LDR to HDR Intracavitary Brachytherapy
Determine dose and fractionation.
Determine applicator
Determine dwell positions
Determine optimization scheme
Establish quality management

30. HDR and LDR T&O

31. Duplicate the LDR Source Distribution with HDR Dwell Weights?
Can we? Certainly, and a lot of work was done to do this well in the late 1980s.
Should we? Absolutely not!
Duplicating the physical distribution does not duplicate the biological distribution because BED depends on dose/fraction.
Fails to give the patient the benefit of optimization.

32. Selecting Dwell Positions
Add spacing in tip to protect bowel.
Load tandem to about mid-ovoid.
Ovoid use dwells 2-8.
Dwell 1 irradiates rectum.
Dwell 9 irradiates bladder.

33. Steps in Converting from LDR to HDR Intracavitary Brachytherapy
Determine dose and fractionation.
Determine applicator
Determine dwell positions
Determine optimization scheme
Establish quality management

34. A Sample of Optimization
Tip dwells to variable for optimization
Tandem dwell inferior to Pt. A hard to specify
Need to place points for ovoids

35. Optimization Scheme
Specify relative doses to the optimization points (e.g., 100% tandem points, 125% ovoid points with chemo - depends on Pt A Dose)
Use optimization on dose points,
Distance optimization.
Minimize the dwell gradient weighting factor.

36. Steps in Converting from LDR to HDR Intracavitary Brachytherapy
Determine dose and fractionation.
Determine applicator
Determine dwell positions
Determine optimization scheme
Establish quality management

37. Quality Management Things to check:
Dose specification (right dose - right point)
Applicator (right geometry)
Dose distribution (right doses - right places)
Normal Tissue doses (in tolerance)
Correct programming (right source movement - right catheter)
But I’ve talked about that before.

38. Physicist’s Worksheet for Tandem and Ovoids

39. Indices Formulae

40. ABS Recommendations for HDR Cx Brachytherapy: 1
1. Brachytherapy must be included as a component of the definitive radiation therapy for cervical carcinoma.
2. Good applicator placement must be achieved to obtain improved local control, survival and lower morbidity.
3. HDR should be interdigitated with pelvic EBRT to keep the total treatment duration to less than 8 weeks.

41. ABS Recommendations for HDR Cx Brachytherapy: 2
4. The relative doses given by EBRT versus brachytherapy depend upon the initial volume of disease, the ability to displace the bladder and rectum, the degree of tumor regression during pelvic irradiation, and institutional preference.
5. Interstitial brachytherapy should be considered for patients with disease that cannot be optimally encompassed by intracavitary brachytherapy.